The present invention relates to lawn rakes, and more particularly to lawn rakes having a particular shape to control the movement of leaves.
Previously known rakes generally have a group of raking fingers which fan out to form a raking edge. The raking fingers usually extend from a support base which is fastened to a handle, or individual fingers may extend directly from a central point along the handle. The raking fingers may form a slightly arcuate surface, and the ends of the fingers themselves may form a slightly arcuate raking edge. However, flat rakes with straight raking edges are also known.
When raking leaves, it is advantageous to have a large raking edge so that a reasonably large amount of leaves may be moved by a single stroke of the rake. However, previously known rakes having a large raking edge suffer from certain disadvantages. For example, the raking fingers nearest the user may pass over the user's feet and deposit leaves and other debris on the user's feet and shoes. Secondly, even if the fingers themselves do not pass over the user's feet, leaves may spill out from the side of the rake onto the user's feet. Attempting to hold the rake further from the body while raking in order to overcome this problem may be tiresome and awkward.
Providing a smaller raking edge may remedy the problem of the raking fingers or leaves passing over the user's feet. However, this solution is not satisfactory because it also decreases the amount of material which may be moved by the rake in a single stroke, thereby forcing the user to make several passes with the rake.
In view of the these disadvantages, it would be desirable to provide a rake which allows a user to rake a relatively large amount of leaves in a single stroke without having the rake, or the leaves, pass over either of the user's feet. Summary of the Invention
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rake which allows a user to rake a relatively large amount of leaves in a single stroke without having the rake, or the leaves, pass over either of the user's feet.
The above and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a rake having first and second raking fans attached to a handle which defines a longitudinal axis. The first fan defines a first tangent plane which is tangent to the first fan substantially along a line at which the first fan meets the longitudinal axis. The second fan defines a second tangent plane which is tangent to the second fan substantially along a line at which the second fan meets the longitudinal axis. In accordance with the present invention, the second tangent plane is deflected out of the first tangent plane toward the user by a deflection angle between about 30.degree. and about 0.degree.. In a preferred embodiment, the deflection angle is about 45.degree.. The raking edge of the first fan is preferably perpendicular to the handle of the rake. In a preferred embodiment, the raking edge of the first fan is longer than the raking edge of the second fan so as to provide a large effective raking edge. A rake constructed in accordance with the present invention thus provides the user an effective raking edge which is as large, or larger, than the raking edge of previously known rakes while eliminating the disadvantage of the rake passing over the user's feet. Furthermore, the second raking edge draws material, such as leaves, away from the user and toward the first raking edge during the raking stroke, rather than allowing the raked material to leak around the side of the second raking edge.